The Sunday Survival Buzz – Volume 69

Welcome to this week’s Sunday Survival Buzz – a roundup of preparedness news, tips, articles and recommendations from around the web. But first, an update on my own preps.

This week I started some wild sourdough starter using the method described in the “one cent” Kindle sourdough e-book/pamphlet I picked up a couple of weeks ago. I used 1/2 cup stone ground whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup filtered water to mix up a batter then let the bowl sit on the kitchen counter for a few days.

It is difficult to tell from the photos but it started bubbling nicely and smells, well, like sourdough. I want to give it a couple of feedings to freshen it up then plan to make some sourdough biscuits. I am still looking for the perfect recipe. Do you have one?

I also plopped the stump from a head of romaine into a glass and sure enough, four days later there are new leaves. I have not seen any roots sprout but heck, the darn thing is growing. (The stump on the right just went into the glass a day ago.)

I will also give you an update on my little window sill garden next week but in the meantime, why not take the end of a lettuce or celery and give this a try yourself?

The last thing I did this week, prepping wise, was look for some inexpensive pieces of gear that can be picked up online for five dollars or less. I am not talking about the greatest quality here, but rather tools and gadgets that will get us by in a pinch. After all, many of us are not living near a Dollar Tree, Walmart, Target or Harbor Freight so we must depend on Amazon and other online retailers to find our stuff.

In my own case, I want to accumulate spares for my extra packs and I simply cannot afford to purchase 4 or 5 of the “best” of the best. One item I just ordered is a $2.00 fire steel. Is it any good? I’ll let you know after it arrives. In the meantime, check out the Bargain Bin below for more Amazon steals and deals.

Okay, enough about me. Let’s get on to the Sunday Survival Buzz.

SURVIVAL NEWS & ARTICLES FROM AROUND THE WEB

Could your money-market fund ‘break the buck’?: If you think the money in your money-market mutual fund is as safe as the cash in an FDIC insured bank account, think again. This is not the first time I have mentioned this, so be aware and be smart with your money. I am not a financial guru, but to me, it simply makes sense to spread your funds around. (We are considering pulling money out of money market funds and purchasing some land – just at the “thinking about it” stage right now.)

Cars damaged in Sandy showing up for sale: As always, remember that if a deal seems to good to be true, there is probably something wrong. If you are considering the purchase of a used car or truck, be sure to check out the provenance first – you don’t want a vehicle that was previously under water and declared “totaled” by the insurance company.

7 Survival Myths That Will Get You Killed: I have seen a lot of poo-poo ca-ca spouted on the internet lately. It seems as though once someone gets an idea and posts it, the viral nature of the internet turns it into gospel. Anyway, here is a list of 7 survival myths that are currently making the rounds. It is a good list.

I am a proponent of rain barrels and have 3 of these 55 gallon barrels behind my garage collecting the runoff when it rains. I always tell people that just because it is rain water does not mean it is safe to drink right out of the barrel. The water runs off your roof and who knows what the birds and squirrels have been doing up there (grin). That being said, the collected rain water could be used as is for ‘flushing’ and if properly purified, used for drinking.

In a very unscientific test, a few years ago I planted a dozen tomato plants in 5-gallon buckets commonly called ‘self watering containers’. Six of them were watered only with rain barrel water while the other six received primarily city water (fluoridated). In my opinion, the rain water treated plants produced more, bigger and better tasting tomatoes than the others did. I tried to use the same amount of plant food, kept them in the same amount of sun to keep the variables as few as possible.

Just thought you might find that of interest.

Duane makes a good point about rain water as well as about the water that comes out of many city and even rural community taps. All the more reason to have a Berkey or some other type of water filtering system for the water you drink and use for cooking.

MINI-REVIEW: MAXIMIZING YOUR MINI FARM

I have a lot of books and I like to share. I recently loaned a stack of books to my off-grid friend, Eve. She was so impressed with this one that she wanted to share a short min-review.

Boy was I amazed at how much I didn’t know and what Brett has to offer in this book. Brett gives enough details in an easy to understand format for anyone to understand and get started on gardening. There are many tips throughout the whole book, not just an explanation about what to do. He covers everything from soil preparation, planting seeds, harvesting, seed saving, and storage of the harvest. He even shares some pretty tasty recipes as well.

Something I didn’t expect in this book was making cheese at home with homogenized milk, and now I think even I can make cheese at home. This book isn’t just a book you read and put on the shelf and forget. This is most definitely a reference book to be used frequently throughout the growing season and beyond. I highly recommend this book for anyone with a desire to garden, or already gardening. This book will save you time and effort.

NEWS FROM OUR SPONSOR

Full Moon Survival has almost 100 new products listed on their website as they bring online two new brands of food storage, Survival Cave and Mother Earth. Your mouth is going to water as you take a look at the photos – especially of those luscious berries!

Kristie and her team are huge supporters and fans of Backdoor Survival so I hope you will check them out

As with all of my sponsors, please pay them a visit and let them know you saw them on Backdoor Survival. Speaking of which, check out the Backdoor Survival Sponsors page and support the fine companies that allow me to keep Backdoor Survival free for everyone.

COMING SOON – A NEW LOOK

As I mentioned yesterday on Facebook, I have been working on a redesign of the website so that going forward, it will be easier to find articles that are specific to your interests.

The most current article will still be featured front and center on the home page – as it always has – but I hope with the new design it will be easier to create links to some of the 500+ articles that are hiding. I will be testing the prototype for the next two weeks. I am very excited to take Backdoor Survival to this next level of usefulness. I hope you like it!

One more thing: rest assured that this website will continue to be 100% free. No subscriptions and no donations – just great information that is shared in the spirit of one neighbor helping another.

THE FINAL WORD

Next week I will traveling to Seattle to attend to some family matters. As always, before hitting the road I check and double check the survival kit I keep in the car as well as my bug out bag. I like to include some fresh snacks and this week there will be some new additions: old pantyhose and some clothespins.

So why am I telling you this? It is just that our prepping job is never done – there is always room to update, to improve and to make things better. Not only that, our various kits are not just for catastrophes. They are there to help us get through the daily ups and downs of life – including travel – as well.

Until, next time, remember to make every day a prep day!

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye

If you have not done so already, please be sure to like Backdoor Survival on Facebook to be updated every time there is an awesome new article, news byte, or free survival, prepping or homesteading book on Amazon.

Related Articles:

Bargain Bin: For the fun of it, I went shopping for some cheap survival stuff on Amazon. Most of these items are in the two dollar price range. I can’t vouch personally for all of them but surely there is a gem or two in the bunch. Of course the UCO storm matches will be 100% reliable so I have no hesitation in recommending them.

SE – 5 in 1 Survival Whistle: These survival whistles for less than $2.00 are great and include a container for some matches or other small doo-dads. Don’t expect the compass to anything more than point you in the right general direction but the whistle loud and effective and that is what you should care about..

Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials: The monthly specials at Emergency Essentials feature discounts of up to 35% off sometimes a bit more. They are currently selling their Freeze Dried Tomatoes for $25.99, a discount of over 40% off the normal price of $43.95 for a #10 tin.

Tomatoes are good to have on-hand in your food storage for your favorite recipes. They are easy to store and rehydrate anytime you need them and are great for adding versatility to your home food supply. I use them in chili, sauces and soups.

Another special this month is the Freeze-Dried Uncooked Salmon which is an amazing $20.99 per can which is 58% off the normal price of $50.95.

Spread the Word – Tell your friends: Share Backdoor Survival with your friends. All you need to do to send them a short email. Now that was easy!

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MEET GAYE

I'm Gaye, just an ordinary gal trying to make sense of our changing world. I am addicted to prepping, DIY projects, adult coloring books, and ballroom dancing. I live what I call a strategic life and believe you should too. Everyone needs to prepare for the worst and live for the best. Won't you join me?

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